Blinded

Memories...

"Ouch...Ouch.." He winced lying in bed.

"Does it still hurt? Should I get you a pain killer?"

"Yep...That would be good!" He grinned.

"Err...Where are your pain killers?"

"It's here..."

"Where?"

"Here..." He kept pointing at her smirking.

She placed her hands on her hip, and shook her head.

"Alright what do you want now? You are acting like a big baby you know that Mr.Oberoi?"

"I want another kiss...First was for good luck...Now to get better" He gave her a boyish smile and she hesitated for a moment.

"Here.." He pointed at his jaw. Then she remembered in the heat of the moment, she had placed a kiss on his cheek during the tournament.

"Ouch...It hurts..."

"Okay fine...Just one..."

She smiled looking at him pretending to be more hurt than he was, and she placed a soft kiss on his jaw, where it was bruised. He stayed frozen for a moment and then started to trace his jaw with his fingers smiling.

"Better...Much better...I think your kisses have magical powers Mrs.Oberoi...I already feel healed" Ann slapped his hand, giggling. Then she looked at this man who was always smiling, who was always happy, and wondered what made him start such a dangerous past time.

"Mr.Oberoi...What made you start fighting?"

"Ah well long story..."

"It's alright, it's still midnight...and you don't have work tomorrow..."

"Hmmn well, I had a teacher back in school who trained me after school..."

"Oh okay...but why?"

"Because I used to get bullied a lot in school...There were some kids who didn't really take a liking to the special needs kids...I think they always wanted feel better about themselves!" He sat back up and Ann saw a faint sadness appear in his face.

"Once they locked me up in a cupboard, and I almost suffocated! I felt helpless at that time...I screamed...Shouted...No one came to my rescue..." Ann's fists clenched listening to this, she wished if she could beat the crap out of this bullies. She entwined her hands with his who started playing with her fingers.

" Did you not tell anyone?"

"I did, and it just made it worse...They found innovative ways to torture me...And the best part was their parents would come to school and ask me...How can you be sure? Did you see that it was my son from your own eyes?"

"Assholes...Pricks who had thorns for offspring's!"

"Hahaha....You for sure have an interesting vocabulary of profanities..."

"Whatever...They are and you know it! I can't believe, that you went through all of that and still didn't give up! You are amazing Shiv!"

"Am I? Well to be honest if not for Mr.Lorenz I would have...Once after school they took me to the school gym, and dipped me in the deep end of the pool, to see how long I could hold my breath for...But what they didn't know was that I can't swim..."

"You...You can't swim?"

"No I still can't, I think after that day, I really couldn't even make myself give it a go....I felt suffocated, trapped, and inside the water I couldn't hear...the water went inside my ears, eyes, nose...I...I panicked...When I didn't come back up, I think they panicked and just left me there...I thought I saw my mom that day...I was about to hold on to her hand and I saw her face...Smiling...Telling me not to be afraid...I think at that moment I wanted to give in...I just wanted it all to end..."